Fatah's military wing, Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, on Tuesday said it would not support Mahmud Abbas (Abu Mazen) as the next president of the Palestinian Authority, but would instead back jailed West Bank Fatah leader, Marwan Barghuti.

"We do not support Abu Mazen for the election and we have decided to vote for Marwan Barghuti to be our candidate for president," a spokesman told AFP.

Abbas, the new PLO leader, is expected to be formally named as the candidate for the January 9 election for Fatah.

Abbas has reportedly asked Palestinian groups to halt attacks against Israel during the campaign for the elections. Ziad Abu Amr, a lawmaker participating in the talks, told The AP Hamas and Islamic Jihad have asked Abbas to establish a "unified leadership." Abu Amr said Abbas told these groups that "the best way to achieve a political partnership is elections." (albawaba.com)